Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
[b]Newspapers should beware of being shunned by the
intelligent
Recently, Lee Kuan Yew mused aloud: "the way the print media can
stay in the contest is not to be the first with the news because
that's not possible, but to be the first with the background and
the analysis and the ones with the high credibility will stay in
business."
This may be a forlorn hope.
Within a day of the launch of the keep377a website, appealing for
signatures to an open letter urging the retention of the anti-gay
law, the Molly Meek blog came out with an incisive analysis. He
wrote:
According to keep377a.com, "[r]epealing S377A is a vehicle to force
homosexuality on a conservative population that is not ready for
homosexuality."
That is plain wrong.
There's no way you can force homosexuality on a conservative (and
presumably heterosexual and homophobic?) population. To repeal 377A
is not to enforce a law saying that everyone has to accept
homosexuality. Just because the law doesn't criminalize premaritial
sex or adultery, it does not mean that people are forced to accept
it or treat it as something right.
Read the post in full -- it's a very lucid analysis.
Till now, neither the Straits Times nor Today has published any
analysis of the counter-campaign by the homophobes, though it's
already quite remarkable that they have at least written up the
events as news, and were pretty quick about it too.
In fact, contrary to what Lee thinks, it may be easier for our
print media to try to hold on to their competitive advantage over
news, rather than muscle in on analysis. There are a number of
reasons for this, as the above example shows.
Gathering news requires enormous resources: a large database of
contacts for information and verification, access to policymakers,
and being reachable 24 hours a day. Large organisations have an
advantage in this.
While news rides on speed and accuracy, analysis, on the other
hand, relies on freedom of speech and the commentator's
credibility, both being interrelated. There is no reason why the
paid columnists of a media organisation should be more credible
than experts outside the organisation; this being the case, it will
be very hard for a media organisation to claim any advantage in
providing analysis.
No doubt, a media organisation can host commentary by outside
experts, and pay handsomely too, but seizing this advantage is
contingent on the political climate and the freedom of expression
allowed to the media organisation.
Our newspapers know that they are operating within tighter limits
than the blogosphere. The public knows that too. The result is that
the former are handicapped in attracting quality analyses. Good
commentators will want to stay outside the ambit of these
organisations to avoid complications to their freedom of
expression.
Political sensitivities are less likely to impinge on news
gathering. A decade ago, it might have been true that many kinds of
news could not even be reported, but under pressure from digital
media, the scope has been widening. Now, additional subjects can be
reported upon, so long as there is "balance" i.e. both sides of
the issue are represented.
I would therefore argue that the trend is one where Singapore's
state-affiliated media organisations will remain news
organisations, but lose out to digital media for analysis...
http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2007/yax-798.htm[/b]
State news comes from the state. State news are limited by the
state for its own political propagandas. So to that extent State
News will not serve the mainstream population.
Those who are involved in any business will have to rely on their
own analytical digests and reports to do well and stay up to
date.
If our news media are to provide good information to serve all
purposes and be accepted as mainstream news for business and
government there has to be a big change in attitude on the part of
the government.
Apart from such rare comment by MM Lee on need for informed
decisions for businesses and government there is no clear thinking
yet on information for the mainstream business and government as a
topic.
It is about time there is such a thinking on this topic -
establishing a mainstream source of news and informations for
efficient decisions and strategic positioning of our economy. If we
do not do so we will eventually lose out to many other countries
which do pay attention to this topic.
It is also about time MM Lee loosens up on control of news and
information for his limited propaganda or political survival.
It is a much larger issue and if he does not let go our news media
will be stifled and cannot grow and will be taken over by blogs and
internet which will then cause more loss of our vibrancy and
growth.
